Device for preventing spreading of railroad-rails.



J. LARIVBB.

VDEVIQE FOR PREVENTING rSPREADIIIG 0F RAILROAD RAILS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 2B, 1907.

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- Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

J.' LARIVEB.

DEVICE PQR PREVENTING SPREADING 0F RAILROAD RALS. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. ze, 1907.

903,485'. Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

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J. LARIVBE.

DEVICE PoR PREVENTING SPREADINGYOF RAILROAD RAILS.

APPLICATIONFILED AUG. 28. 1907. l Patented Nov. 10,1908.

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UNITED STATES ATENT FFIQE.

JOSEPH LARIVEE, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

Specification o Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed August 28, 1907. Serial No. 390,427'.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH LAnrvnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county ot Westchester and State oi New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Preventing Spreading of Railroad- Rails, oi which the 'following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices 'for preventing spreading of railroad rails and has for its object to provide a device of this class which will be particularly effective at curves and switches.

It is a well known Jfact that on a curve, the

line of force exerted upon the outside rail is in a plane extending through the inner edge of the tread of said rail. The tendency is therefore for the rail to turn over or to buckle in its web. In carrying out my invention, I have, in consideration of these facts, provided a rail supporting member which may be either in the 'form of a tie or a brace and which is provided at each o1c its ends with a boss which is undercut to receive the outer end of a block against which latter the outer side of the corresponding rail seats. That end of each block which rests against the rail is cut away to snugly iit the rail and the upper 'face of each block is inclined in the plane of the line oi force exerted upon the rail. These blocks, by reason of their peculiar formation, eiiectually prevent overturning ot the rails and also prevent spreading.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of a track brace embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectionrl view therethrough, Fig. 3 is a top plan view, Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken in a plane with the bolt for securing the guards to the bosses at the ends of the brace, Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing one end of a brace embodying a slightly modified -form oi the invention, Fie. 6 is a similar view showing another modiiication, Fig. 7 is a similar view showing a still 'further modification, Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 and. showing the application of this form of the invention to a switch rail, and, Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the embodiment of the preferred 'form oi' the invention in a tie.

In the iirst four figures of the drawings, illustrating one form oi' the invention, there is shown atie l() which is of the ordinary coni struction and upon which the brace embodying my invention is supported. The brace comprises a plate which is indicated by the numeral ll and which is of the same length as the tie but is oiLless width. Formed upon the plate at each end thereof is a boss l2 which is undercut indicated at i3 ior a purpose to be presently explained. Formed through the plate 1l at the eXtreme ends thereof are openings 14 for the passage ol" screw bolts l5 which enter the tie and serve to secure the plate ll thereon.

i Snugly received in the undercut portion of l each boss l2 is the outer and smaller end ois a wedge shaped block 16 which block rests l with its under 'face upon the upper 'tace oi i the plate l1 and consequently has its upper i face inclined. The inner and larger end oi the block is undercut as at 17 to snugly receive the outer base flange or the corresponding rail 1S and the inner end tace of the block iits against the outer 'face ot the web ot the rail. The upper and inner corner of the i block is cut away or recessed as indicated at 19 to engage snugly the under portion o't the.

outer surface of the tread oi the rail and as indicated by the dotted line a-zr in Fig. l,

the upper 'tace oi the block is located in a plane coincident with the line of 'force exerted upon the rail by the passage of a train.

From the 'foregoing it will be seen that under no conditions can either rail ot the track turn over in an outward direction.

' In order lto hold the inner base Vflanges o'l the rails to the plate l1 screw bolts 2O similar to the bolts l5 are engaged through the plate and into the tie and have their heads beveled to iit the edges of the said iianges as indicated at 2l.

1 As a means for holding the blocks .i6 in position, I have provided plates 22 which are secured at their upper ends to the opposite sides of the respective bosses by means oi i bolts 23 which are engaged through the said \plates and through the upper ends oi' the bosses as clearly shown in Fig, i oiY the drawings, it being understood that one plate is disposed at each side of each boss and that a single bolt is engaged through. the plates and the boss. It will further be understood that these plates serve eiiectually to prevent movement of the wedge shaped blocks and hence act as guard pilates tor tlie blocks. i These plates 22 extend partly across the side faces of the respective blocks 16 and at their ilower edges are flanged as at 24, spikes or IGS bolts being engaged through the flanges and into the tie l0.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the blocks 16 are omitted and the boss, which in this figure is indicated by the reference numeral 12a, is provided with an under cut portion 26 for the reception of the outer base flange of the rail and with a recess 27 which embraces the under and a portion of the side face of the tread of the rail. The end face proper ofthe boss abuts the outer face of the web of the rail and the upper face of the boss is inclined in a plane corresponding to that of the block in the preferred form of the invention, it being understood that the rinciple remains the same and that the on y change lies in the omission of the blocks.

It will be observed that in the form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, I have provided each of the guard plates 22 with an opening 28m a line with the intersection of the end faces of the bosses and the upper faces of the blocks so that any snow or rain lodging in the valley formed by these two faces will be drained olf. I have also found that by providing the bosses with conveXed upper faces and correspondingly curving the upper edges of the guard plates, this collection. of snow or rain will be prevented. This construction is clearly illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

When the brace is to be used to connect two switch rails, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, a plate 29 is interposed between the tie and the plate 11 and is secured to the tie, the plate 11d or in other' words the brace, being movable over the said plate 29. In the application of the invention illustrated in this ligure, the flanges 24 upon the guard 'plates are, however, omitted and the bolts 30 are engaged through the lower end portions of the plates and into the plate 11d.

If desired, the plate 11 may be formed thicker and provided upon its under face with transversely extending ribs 32 as clearly shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings, and when so constructed, may be used as a tie and the tie l0 dispensed with. In connection with this last described form, it will be understood of course that the ribs 32 prevent creeping of the tie.

What is claimed is:

l. A device of the class described comprising a base formed at each end with an undercut boss, rail engaging blocks seated removably upon said base and against the bosses, plates connected with the bosses for upward swinging movement, and securing elements removably passed through the lower edges of the plates.

2. A device of the class described compris- I ing a base formed at each end with an undercut boss, rail engaging blocks seated removably upon said base and against'said bosses, plates disposed one against each side of each boss and the rail engaging block seated thereagainst, a bolt passed through each of the bosses and the plates disposed thereagainst, the said bolts serving to connect the said plates with the bosses in such manner as to permit of upward swinging ofthe plates, and securing elements passed removably through the lower edges of the plates.

3. A device of the class described comprising a base, formed at each end with an undercut boss, rail engaging blocks seated removably upon said base and against the said bosses, plates disposed one against each side of each of the bosses and the rail engaging block seated thereagainst, the upper faces of the blocks being inclined and the plates being formed each with an opening at a point coincident with the point of intersection of the upper face of the respective block with the respective boss, a bolt passed through each of the bosses and the plates disposed thereagainst, the said bolts serving to connect the plates with the bosses in such a manner as to permit of vertical swinging movement of the said plates, and securing elements passed removably through the lower edges of the plates.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a tie, of a base plate seated upon the tie, bosses formed one at each end of the said base plate, rail engaging blocks seated one against each of the said bosses, a plate disposed against each of the bosses at each side thereof, a bolt engaged through each of the bosses and the plates disposed thereagainst, the said plates serving to hold said blocks in place and the said bolts serving to connect the plates with the bosses in such a manner as to permit of upward swinging movement of the plates, flanges formed at the lower edge of each of the plates, and securing elements driven through each of the flanges and into the tie. Y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH LARIVEE. 

